The Fourth Apprentice
by vanitas.vanitatum
Summary: Yen Sid learns of Vanitas's existence and identity before the events of the game, and in an attempt to prevent the tragedies from unfolding convinces him to leave Xehanort and train with others his own age. The problems? Eraqus is as tolerant of the Darkness as ever; Xehanort wants his apprentice back; and in the end, there is no changing what you are. Or is there?
1. Chapter 1

**Quick Notes: Basically, this will be Birth by Sleep rewritten with Vanitas in a different role, from his POV. Vanitas/Aqua close!friendship at first, though that may change as close friendships occasionally do. None of these characters belong to me, all that good stuff. **

I'm still leaning against the window, looking up at the stars, when she comes up behind me. As usual, it's the faint, floral scent of her perfume that alerts me to her presence. Ocean Breeze, she calls it. Nothing about it is vaguely reminiscent of the ocean, as I've told her before, but the name suits her. And it's her favorite-or at least, the one she uses most often.

"We missed you at the summit," Aqua says softly.

I think of the conversation I'd overheard between my fellow apprentices, how they'd laughed like idiots and been completely at ease as they sparred without me, and the first response that comes to mind is, _Well, I sure as hell didn't miss any of you._

I should go ahead and say it. To hell with the promise I'd made Yen Sid of keeping my negativity in check. I don't know what could have possibly possessed me to make me agree to this in the first place; I don't belong here. Eraqus doesn't make any secret of that fact. Neither does Terra, nor his little tagalong, Ventus.

I've been living here, in The Land of Departure, for three years now. Three years, and almost nothing has changed in my relationships with the others. I guess I should be grateful (or something) Eraqus doesn't go ahead and strike me down on the spot, saturated as I am with the Darkness he despises. Even though I've done my best to keep it under control, I know he can sense it in me. He spends only as much time around me as absolutely necessary, and I can feel his displeasure radiating off him in waves every time I interact with one of his other precious apprentices.

Speaking of which, Ventus avoids me like the plague. There's no possible way he could consciously know for certain who I am, but some part of him is aware, and that part is repulsed by my presence. The only times we've been in the same room together, so has at least one of the others. Being around him used to be a near obsession for me-what I am is instinctively drawn towards him-but his rejection has warped it and I can barely tolerate him now either.

And Terra, prideful bastard that he is; it's safe to say that there was mutual dislike between the two of us the second we laid eyes on each other. Ventus and Eraqus have only been fueling that over the years, giving him some stupid notion of protecting the other apprentices. You should see his face every time Aqua comes over to talk to me-he can't seem to grasp why she would do such a thing voluntarily.

Aqua. She's only one who has ever bothered to make any effort to make me feel welcome here, and her I just don't get. I don't think I ever will. How she hangs around me when the others want nothing to do with me, how she tries to make me feel included. Sometimes it makes me so angry-I don't need her goddamned pity-but most of the time it's just confusing-her lack of condescension and the fact that she just seems to enjoy my company, even when I'm being far from pleasant.

Like now.

_Say it. Say it so she'll shut up and go away. _The urge is overwhelming, and I know that if I allow it to manifest it will do so as a swarm of those little jittery blue bastards the Master called Floods. Say it. Hurt her feelings. Wipe that smile off her face. She's always smiling at me. She's the only one who does.

"Maybe next time," I say.

"Next time," she says. The smile remains as is.

Would she smile at me if she knew who I was? What I can do? What I was meant to do?

I don't think so.

"Tomorrow's the exam," she says after a few minutes of oddly comfortable silence. She's settled next to me to watch the stars, her arm close but not enough to brush up on mine. My fingers dig painfully into the rough surface of the window frame. As if I could forget that little fact, the way Terra's been swaggering around here for days over it. At least Ventus won't be tested, either-I would never be able to live it down if I were the only one Eraqus decided to exclude.

"Yippee," I reply, rolling my eyes.

"You'll be there, won't you? To watch us?"

"Should I be?" My tone is irate as ever, but as usual, it seems to just roll right off her.

"I would like that. Ven says he doesn't play favorites, but you know he's going to be rooting for Terra." She sounds amused, her genuine fondness for my other half plain to hear in her voice. That's another thing I just don't know how she can tolerate; how she seems to accept being some sort of third wheel to their dynamic duo. I can hardly stand to watch them, sometimes.

"I'll go." For you. "Wouldn't pass up the chance to see you whip Terra's ass."

"Vanitas!" Wearing a mock-scandalized expression, Aqua gives my shoulder a playful shove with both hands. It's not remotely hard enough to actually budge me, but I humor her and give way to it, flashing her a smirk in return. Too bad I hadn't been joking. "You know that's not what the exam is about."

"Yeah, yeah." I lean back against the wall, resting my elbows on the window with my hands dangling over the cut stone. "Shouldn't you be going to bed, though? I'd hate to see Terra and a zombie out there tomorrow. Not that it wouldn't be amusing."

"It might be worth it if it got that grumpy look you wear all the time off your face," she says.

I snort and turn around, going back to looking over the grounds. "You want to see a grumpy look on my face? Don't pass tomorrow."

"I guess I'd better be going, then. But first..." Out of the corner of my eye I see her reach into her pocket. There's a soft clink of glass on glass, and then she's pulling my hand to her and placing something in my palm.

Looking down, I'm momentarily at a loss for words. It's hard to believe that she'd made such a delicate-looking thing by hand. It's identical to the ones she had passed out to the others on the summit a few minutes before. It's hard for me to process that she's given me one as well. It's... "It's white."

"Don't you think you have enough black?" She makes a show of looking me up and down, wrinkling her nose.

"One can never have enough black."

"Shush. The point is, this is a good luck charm. It's supposed to represent-"

"-An unbreakable connection."

Her eyes widen for a second before her expression softens and she smiles again. "That's right. You knew?"

Only because I'd been watching earlier, but she definitely doesn't need to know that. "You think I'm as uncultured as those two dorks? Aqua. Please." Ignoring the sigh she huffs out and the way she shakes her head as she turns to go, I hold her gift up by the leather cord. The star-shaped charm rotates slowly, gleaming faintly under the moonlight.

I've never received a gift from anyone before.

"It's...Aqua. Thanks. I..." I struggle to find the words, finally settling for, "I really like it." Lame, but it's better than nothing.

Could do without being unbreakably connected to Ventus and Terra, though.

She's already at the end of the hall, but she turns around at my voice. The smile on her face now is so vibrant it's almost as if I'm the one who's given her the gift. "You're welcome, Vanitas. See you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," I agree, and she continues on her way. I wait until the sound of her boots on the marble floor has faded before heading back to my own room.

Tomorrow is going to be a good day.


	2. Chapter 2

_Vanitas_.

I've been feeling this tugging sensation in my heart all night. It's all too familiar, and I know damned well what it means: Master Xehanort is demanding my presence.

He's been trying this from time to time ever since I'd left. Fortunately, it's not as hard to resist as it was at first, when it was backed by his cold fury at my insubordination as well as a relentless frequency. At this point, he tends to call it quits after an hour or so of pestering me.

_Vanitas_.

At least, he usually does. But tonight, he's more insistent than ever; and I'm well aware of the reason as to why he is. Tomorrow happens to be a major step towards achieving his ultimate goal. And, well, I've had my fun defying him, but now it's time to get my shit together, stop being such a little prick, and get back to his side like a good boy.

Dream on, old man.

It wouldn't surprise me if he's gotten desperate enough to go searching for me instead of waiting around for me to show up. He might have hated me long before I ever left and derailed his plans, but he still needs me. According to Yen Sid, however, Xehanort can turn the worlds upside down and he'll never find me-all thanks to the clothes Yen Sid had given me. As long as I've got them on, so he says, the magic he's imbued them with will ensure that my location will simply never occur to the old bastard.

So far, so good.

Even if I do still feel naked without my bodysuit and helmet.

Even if I do still have to endure Aqua's occasional teasing about how I like to "admire my own muscles," after the time she caught me staring at the foreign sight of my bare forearms, shockingly pale compared to the dark fabrics I'm used to seeing.

**_Vanitas_**.

That last summons was almost painful, and, pulling my arms out from under my head, I roll onto my side with my teeth gritted and the bedsheets scrunched in my fist. Take a goddamned hint, _Master_, and fuck _off_.

The Unversed slips away from me before I can reel the negativity flowing from me back in: a big Bruiser that, thankfully, chooses to pop up in my room rather than pay the others a visit. That's all I would have needed.

It peers around through red, jagged slits, the antennae on its head twitching back and forth, before ambling mindlessly through the room. One careless sweep of a huge arm and the lamp on the table crashes to the floor. Indifferent to the fact that Eraqus is going to make me miserable when he finds out, it continues bumbling along on its clumsy way. The heavy wooden chair I'd left in the middle of the room joins the lamp with a loud thump, one of its legs snapping under the Bruiser's unforgiving weight.

"Son of a bitch." I wince, looking towards the door and straining to listen for anything that would suggest the others are coming to investigate. I don't know whether to be relieved that the hall remains silent or annoyed that my fellow apprentices would probably sleep through my brutal murder.

But, I've got more pressing matters to deal with right now.

"Okay, you stupid beast," I mutter, closing my eyes in preparation of dismissing my unwanted companion. It answers by blundering into my table and knocking everything to the floor in its flailing attempts to recover its balance. Concentration shattered, I heave a sigh, reluctantly opening my eyes to survey the latest damage.

The next instant, Void Gear has sprung to my hand and I've leapt from the bed, cutting through the Bruiser from behind with one vicious, diagonal slash. The Unversed freezes in place, its foot hovering over the gleaming white, star-shaped object laying on the ground, and explodes back into formless negativity.

Knowing that it's coming or that it isn't my own does nothing to ease the phantom pain that bursts through my body, and it's all I can do to keep from screaming along with the death cry that sounds in my head. When the backlash fades, I'm on my hands and knees. Sweat trickles down the side of my face, my breathing is coming in harsh gasps, and my blurring vision is a pretty clear indicator that I'm about to pass out.

But the important thing is, Aqua's gift is safe.

The morning light is streaming in through the windows by the time I come to, disoriented and sore. The incessant buzzing of my alarm clock is the first thing to register with me, and I gingerly push myself to my feet, stumbling over what's left of my furnishings to put an end to the irritating noise. Only when it's quiet do I realize that I'm clutching my Wayfinder protectively in one hand.

Sitting heavily on the edge of the bed, I turn the charm over and over in my hands, running my fingers over the surface of each point. No cracks. Nothing broken off. It's as intact and pristine as when Aqua handed it to me last night.

The sigh of relief waiting to be released from my lungs turns into a sharp snort. Rolling my eyes, I shove the star into my pocket with one brusque movement and get back up. "All that fuss over a stupid trinket," I mutter. If there was anything to all that good luck bullshit, my room wouldn't look like...well, like it had been trashed by a Bruiser.

The mess left by the Unversed, I hate to admit, has me a bit stumped. And as I stand scratching my head over where to start cleaning, the sounds of a typical morning in the Land of Departure begin to drift in from out in the hallway, though at a significantly higher volume than normal.

"Guuuys, come on! Hurry!" Ventus is saying. It's not necessary for me to look to know that he's bouncing impatiently in place as he waits for his friends to finish up getting ready. The image of a dog, complete with furiously wagging tail as it whines to be let outside, pops into mind. I swear, if those things could talk, they'd sound just like him.

"Ven, just because you're rushing us doesn't mean the exam's going to get here any sooner," Terra says, and the tone he uses brings a derisive sneer to my face.

It never fails. The more eager Ventus gets about something, the more Terra sinks into his role as the one who knows better than he does. Who's more experienced. Silly young Ven, the Mark of Mastery is no big deal; certainly not the one thing Terra's life has revolved around since he took up the Keyblade. And Ventus just eats it up, eyes wide with admiration at how composed and confident his idol is.

I can practically hear Ventus's shoulders sag at the older apprentice's less than enthusiastic response. The puppy whine in his voice transforms from excitement to something more pleading. "But, Master Eraqus wants us to meet his important guest first, remember?"

"That's right," Aqua's voice cuts in. "And we still have breakfast to get through."

"Okay, okay."

"Oh," she says, "and will one of you make sure Vani's up?"

Vani? Oh, Aqua. No. Not even you.

Utter silence greets her words. I picture Terra's annoyance, the look of dismay on Ventus's face as they stare at each other. I think it's safe to say we'd all prefer that Aqua did that herself, but Eraqus has worked hard to instill propriety into all his students, and there's no way she'd do anything as inappropriate as barging into the room of one of her unrelated brothers.

Terra'd probably have an aneurysm anyway.

"Is he coming?" he asks, a clear stall tactic.

"I asked him last night and he said he would."

"You still need to get ready, Terra. I'll do it," Ventus says suddenly, breaking the second, more ominous silence that falls between the group.

Okay, no. Call me crazy, but letting them see my room in its current state does not strike me as a good idea. Striding across the room, I fling my door open and step outside just in time for a headlong collision with my counterpart. "Hey, Vani-wahaugh!"

Now there's a nickname I could get used to, I can't help thinking as Ventus bounces off me and ends up on his ass across the hall. As I nudge the door shut with my foot, the other two let out simultaneous cries of alarm, all attention focused on the blond. "Ven!"

"Something I can do for you, Ventus?" I ask smoothly, but it's Terra's whose gaze mine is locked with. There's something that's just so satisfying about the fact that I am fully awake, alert, and ready to go, and he's only just gotten up. Narrowing his eyes, the brunet disappears back into his room, shutting the door hard behind him.

"Apparently not," Ventus sighs in response.

He's still sitting against the wall across from me, legs straight out in front of him and spread in a V-shape. Pathetic. He's as pathetic as he was back when we were both still with Master Xehanort. Looking at him now, I'm forcefully reminded of that old urge that had compelled me to warn our Master to send him away. The urge to attack him, to beat him senseless, to kill him before he was ready.

"...Vanitas?"

I realize that I'm staring at him intently, eyebrows furrowed and mouth set in a tight, irritated line. That he's staring back with a baffled frown, head tilted, apprehension clear in his wide blue eyes. Pathetic.

And yet...

It's almost involuntary, the way I hold my hand out to him; one of those things where it feels more like I'm watching someone else do it, and the seconds tick by as he studies it in a way that suggests something horrible might happen if he takes it. I've almost decided he isn't going to when he gives me a tentative smile and reaches up to grab it.

"Thanks," he says as I pull him to his feet.

"Hn." Now I'm the one who's nearly floored, overwhelmed by the light I'm both drawn to and repulsed by.

"Morning, Vanitas," Aqua says, seemingly satisfied by the grunt I give in return. I've always known that nothing makes her happier than seeing her brothers getting along, and even this awkward attempt has put a brilliant smile on her face. "Seeing as you're both ready to go, shall we head downstairs?"

"I'm gonna wait for Terra," Ventus says immediately. Of course he is.

As per usual, Aqua doesn't seem to mind being turned down in favor of Terra, merely looking to me. Then again, maybe she just doesn't want to bring them down, considering the way her face lights up at my nod. "Sure, let's go."

She takes the lead on the way down the hall as I hesitate momentarily, tossing an uneasy look over my shoulder at my closed door. Last night has made it abundantly clear that Xehanort intends to forge ahead with at least some part of his plans, whether or not I'm on board. The man's been obsessed long before my "birth," and I'm not enough of a narcissist to think my absence is ultimately going to make that much of an impact on the manipulative old bat.

"Vanitas," Aqua calls. She's all the way at the other end of the hall, peering around the corner at me with puzzled amusement in her eyes. "You coming?"

"Yeah, yeah."

Eraqus knows Terra is being targeted, I remind myself as I break into a jog to catch up, even if none of us knows why. Yen Sid is coming to keep an eye on things. Whether it's going to be enough to stop my old Master when he makes his move remains to be seen.

**Mmkay, so some quick responses to the people who have been kind enough to drop me a review.**

**MegaFlameHedge: Hooray, first review! Fist bump. FIST BUMP. My main concern was that I was going to butcher his character, so I appreciate the support on that. ^_^**

**the nobody 0: Thanks for the fav/follow! I have been encouraged.**

**oblivionkeeper23: Why thank you! Probably not going to stay that way for long, I'm sorry to say.**

**PeterPokéfreak: That means a lot to me. 8D I have indeed put quite a number of years into this hobby, but it has been a long, LONG time since I did a chaptered story...thing. As I've mentioned the thing I'm most concerned about tends to be straying out of character, so I'm glad it's working.**

**Maverick Hunter Phoenix: ^_^;; Not...quite yet...BUT SOON. I promise.**

**And a big thank you to the other people who have read, faved, or followed this thing. *hearts***

**One last thing. I've noticed how quickly stories get pushed down the list here and I think it's a damned shame because there are a lot of good ones that should be shared. So what I'm gonna do is pick a random one that I love for promotion at the end of every chapter. Here we go.**

**Heartthrob by Alacquiene  
"I had no idea you were so insecure. Insecurity breeds jealousy, Aqua. And jealousy is so unlike you." AU / OneShot / VanitasAqua**

**THAT IS ALL. 'Til next time.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Three things I want to clarify about Vanitas's new clothes! Thank you to SorceressKyrsty and PeterPokéfreak for making me think of them.**

**1. Vanitas's clothes are less Sora (Sorry SorceressKyrsty xD) and more a cross between Terra and Ven's. Terra-like top and Ventus-like pants, except all black. Armor is black with red trim. He's a creature of habit.  
2. They don't so much make him physically invisible to Xehanort as they do just keep him off the radar. For instance, if Xehanort is thinking, "Where is that little punk ass?" He might consider Neverland, the Enchanted Dominion, Dwarf Woodlands, etc. etc., basically, EVERYWHERE but where he actually is. At most he'll be like, "I feel like I'm forgetting one. Oh well."  
3. Why not just do the same to Terra's clothes? Xehanort already knows where he is. It only works if, as with Vanitas, Xehanort had no idea where he had wandered off to. MAYBE if he went to live in another world but Eraqus is not going to send his son away for such vague reasons as "Someone is plotting something but we don't know what."**

**And without further ado...**

"Terra, Aqua. Ventus, Vanitas. Please welcome my dear friend, Master Yen Sid, and his apprentice, Mickey. They have traveled a long way to observe your skills on this momentous occasion. I trust you will treat them with the same respect you treat me."

Eraqus gives me a pointed glance. In my mind, I roll my eyes.

"It's an honor to meet you, Master Yen Sid!"

"We've heard so much about you..."

"And it will be a pleasure to watch two such promising young Wielders take the final step towards becoming Masters."

This whole socializing nonsense just isn't my thing. Besides, it's hot out for early morning, and I don't want to stand in the sun. As the other three gather around Master Yen Sid, I slink away from the group in favor of the unoccupied shady spot by the main entrance doors.

"Boy, you haven't changed much, have you?"

There's a tug on my pants leg, and I look down to find Yen Sid's apprentice. Putting on a sullen face, he folds his arms across his chest and leans against the wall, flawlessly mirroring my actions at the precise moment I perform them. "You're hilarious, Mickey."

He chuckles, pushing off the wall as he offers a friendly smile. "Gosh, it's swell to see you again, Vanitas." Looking around in a conspiratorial way, he leans closer to me and lowers his voice. "You haven't had any trouble with You Know Who, have you?"

"Nah," I say. "Ye-Master Yen Sid knew what he was doing."

"He sure did." Mickey puffs up with pride as we look towards his master. "So, how have you been doing?"

"'Swell'," I reply. "Enough for a rematch, even."

He might be a little mouse of an apprentice, but he swings a mean Keyblade. I'd found that out the hard way.

His smile becomes almost as sharp as mine, the effect ruined by the playful gleam in his eyes. "Anytime, anywhere, pal. Just don't be a sore loser this time."

"Don't worry. I have no intention of being any kind of loser." I smirk at him. "Oh, wait. I guess you should worry."

"Vanitas, it would be nice if you would stop being a bad influence on my apprentice," Yen Sid calls over, though his voice is relatively mild. "He is enough of a handful as it is."

"The Exam will begin in five minutes," Eraqus announces a few seconds later. "Please finish whatever preparations you need and join us in the Great Hall."

Everyone begins to file away, the Masters in the lead, Terra directly behind them. Aqua and Ven crowd around Mickey, pelting him with chatter and questions and leaving me to trail at the very back of the group.

"So, Mickey, looks like you know Vanitas pretty well, huh?"

"Well, gosh, I guess you could say that."

"You got any dirt on him?"

"Ven! What kind of question is that?"

"A legitimate one! He's gotta have done something we can hold over his head!"

"Weeellllll..."

"Mickey, you can't seriously be considering telling..."

Someone ought to tell Aqua her scandalized act would be more convincing if she weren't leaning towards the other apprentice with such obvious interest. Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to be me.

"If they only knew. Isn't that right, Vanitas?"

The others turn the corner and continue on into the Great Hall, oblivious to the fact that I'm still standing by the main entrance, half in and half out. Xehanort's Keyblade rests lightly between my shoulders blades, but as a dark portal opens directly in front of me with a soft whoosh, he increases the pressure until I can feel the points digging into my back. "If you don't mind, this shouldn't take too much of your time."

I get the feeling that if I do mind, it'll take even less.

"So this is where you've been hiding. I should have known," Xehanort says when we emerge on a large, grassy cliff. The castle is a short distance away, the stained glass set in the wall above the thrones in the Great Hall easily identifiable.

My former master's hands, as usual, are clasped behind his back, his Keyblade dismissed. He gazes at me coolly as I summon my own and whirl around to face him, the expression in his yellow eyes thoroughly unimpressed.

"Senility is nothing to be ashamed of at your age," I reply, matching him in casual scorn. "'course, Masters Yen Sid and Eraqus are still sharp as tacks, but it's not a competition, right?"

"Eraqus," he scoffs. Even if I agree-to some extent-I raise Void Gear warningly, as would be expected of me should the enemy insult my master. "Let's see how good a Master he really is."

He unclasps his hands from behind his back, raising one into the air at eye level with his fingers hooked so they resemble claws. Darkness begins to gather around his hand, swirling faster and thicker, until he sends it speeding towards the castle with a flick of the wrist. There's a certain manic glee in his eyes that I know all too well, and the sight sends an uneasy shiver down my spine.

"What did you do?" I demand.

"What I came to do. Put those apprentices of his to a real test," Xehanort sneers. "What a delightful surprise it was to stumble across you as well."

"I guess it's your lucky day." Damn you, Aqua, you and your good luck charms.

There's the strangest feeling in my chest; one that threatens to spawn my Unversed, and yet I'd thought I knew all the emotions capable of producing them. This is new, foreign, and even when it dawns on me I'm not willing to accept the realization.

I don't _fear_ anything. Not Xehanort. Not anything.

At least, not for myself. I resist the urge to turn, to run back to the castle and warn the others. I'll never be able to make it back in time, and besides, I don't want to turn my back right now. He's focused on me again, the look on his face becoming more appraising. Calculating. Predatory.

"I'm in such a good mood I'll make you an offer, Vanitas. Come back to my side and I will be willing to look past your transgressions." There's an unspoken, but heavily implied, _This time._ When I don't immediately reject him, when I let my arm drop so that Void Gear is held slack at my side, he continues, letting a cajoling tone slip into his voice. "You know the emptiness you feel is not one that can be filled by illusions of friendship. There is only one thing that can complete you. Let me help you."

He's good, I have to admit, and if I didn't know him as well I'd probably let him coax me back into his grasp. But I do know him, and that familiarity brings a sneer of my own to my face. "You mean, let you use me. And the answer is no. Not a chance."

It's eerie, if not entirely unexpected, how quickly he lets his face and tone harden. "I will admit, having you with me would make things much easier, Vanitas. But do not be so arrogant as to think I'm helpless without you. And if you truly have no intention of helping me..." He summons his Keyblade. "...then I have no intention of letting you, a purposeless creature, exist. I will eliminate you."

I'm sure this is the point where I'm supposed to fall to my knees in supplication and swear that I'll never do anything so foolish as to turn on him ever again. Instead, I sink into my battle stance, raising Void Gear alongside my head as a smirk flits across my face. "You can try."

I can't beat him.

Now, even as strong as I am, this is by no means a major revelation. But, shockingly enough, having my suspicions confirmed isn't making me feel a hell of a lot better. I am bruised and battered and swaying on my feet and that is nothing compared to the beating my pride has taken. I haven't even been able to touch him.

The worst part? He's only been on the defensive this entire time. Every swing of my Keyblade has been parried with no apparent effort, every spell cast blocked and countered. I'm not looking forward to being on the receiving end when he decides to get serious, and it's only a matter of time.

Adding even more insult to injury is the look on Master Xehanort's face. He is bored, playing with a toy that isn't meeting his standards of entertainment; a toy for which the only redeeming factor is its durability, and he might as well break it and be done with it.

Once again, Void Gear is the only thing that saves me from the humiliation of face planting at my opponent's feet. I thrust the blade into the earth and lean against my Keyblade for support, allowing myself only a few seconds to recover. It takes more effort than I'd care to admit to take my weight back onto my legs and settle once more into my battle stance.

Keeping my senses trained on Xehanort, I turn my head aside and spit, disgusted, into the grass. The Thundaga he'd hit me with moments before has left a terrible metallic taste in my mouth, and the nauseating smell of singed me is still lingering in the air.

"Is this the best Eraqus can do?" my old Master wonders aloud. "You were stronger when you were serving as my apprentice."

I know what he's trying to do, and yet I can't help stiffening. What can I say? The man knows how to push my buttons. We've been doing this dance ever since the fight started: a brief, violent clash, followed by a momentary breaking apart for me to catch my breath and him to make another infuriating remark, and so on and so forth.

Like it or not, I'm forced to play his game. The rage he inspires surges up, clawing at my chest. It's got to come out one way or the other, and it's when it comes out _the other_ that I'm really going to be in trouble. That's when he'll really go on the offensive, and that's when I'll have no choice but to submit.

So I charge, closing the gap between us, and spring into the air above him, Keyblade arcing down with my descent. It didn't work before. Truth be told, I don't expect it to work now. And at the last possible moment, Xehanort lifts his arm and catches Void Gear's blade against his own.

For a moment, we strain against each other-or to be more accurate, I strain, trying with failing strength to beat him back, and he smirks, nearly nose to nose with my snarl and I. And then with one powerful swipe of his arm he heaves me away again, sending me slamming into the ground where I tumble head over heels and finally end up sprawled on my stomach several yards away, Void Gear miraculously spinning to a stop within arm's reach.

Unhurried, unconcerned, he strolls towards me as I struggle to get back up, stopping when I totter to my feet and assume a defensive stance. "Your arm is tiring," he observes in a pleasant tone.

"No. It's not." Yes. It is. My muscles burn with the effort of holding the weight of my Keyblade; heavy enough as it usually is, it feels ten times worse now. My fingers are aching, aching to uncurl from around the handle and just let it drop. The only thing I have to keep my blade from drooping is sheer force of will. But I am not going to surrender, and it seems that Master Xehanort has come to this realization as well. His eyes narrow briefly as I continue, "I could do this for hours."

"Can you really?" he asks, as a sadistic smile curves the corners of his lips upward. "Let us test that theory."

He vanishes before my eyes. Knowing what to expect, I flip away as rapidly as I can, whirling around and pointing my Keyblade at him when he reappears behind the spot where I was standing. "Burn," I growl, and send the largest Firaga I can dredge up streaking towards him.

I don't have the time to savor his cry of pain as the spell hits its mark. I barely have the time to bring Void Gear up to defend myself when he begins his retaliation.

From past experience I know that it would have been all I could do to block the furious onslaught of blows he crashes down on me if he had done so from the start. Tired out as I am, I feel every jarring strike much more than I normally would. And despite my best efforts to fend him off, he disarms me a moment later with a contemptuous flick of his Keyblade.

I make the mistake of watching in dismay as my weapon sails over our heads and clatters unceremoniously to the ground a hopeless distance away. Given the opportunity, Xehanort seizes the chance to reclaim my attention with a boot to my stomach. The air whooshes from my lungs and I crumple to the ground, struggling to breathe.

Another kick renders me flat on my back, staring up the shaft of his Keyblade as he rests the tip on my chest. "Last chance, Vanitas," he says, and means it.

Still winded, I can only shake my head. Our eyes meet, full of concentrated mutual loathing, and he bares his teeth as he pulls the blade away and raises it above his head. "Suit yourself."

The air whistles and seems to shimmer as he slashes downwards.

...shimmer?

Several voices cry out simultaneously. "BARRIER!"

The reinforced spell is so powerful that Xehanort is knocked off balance as his Keyblade glances violently off the unseen surface that has sprung up between us. He's quick to recover, but I'm no longer the focus of his attention. His eyes fix onto something beyond me. Following his gaze, I spot Mickey and Aqua, Star Seeker and Rainfell drawn as they race towards us from the castle, rapidly closing the distance. Behind them come Eraqus and Yen Sid, expressions grim and eyes locked on my old Master.

"Stop!" Aqua shouts, but the spell soars harmlessly through empty space.

Xehanort has gone.

Dropping to her knees beside me, she checks me over with gentle hands, examining my injuries. "Vanitas, don't move," she says, pressing me back down as I make to sit up.

"Was that Master Xehanort?" Mickey asks. "Shouldn't we go after him?"

With a single, stern look, Yen Sid silences his apprentice. "We have more urgent matters at hand." He gestures at me.

"I'm okay," I argue, fighting to be let up off my back. "I'm okay. Aqua, get _off_-"

"Vanitas," she says, firmly, and holds her hands up for my inspection.

"...Wow. That's a lot of blood."

Sheer exasperation forces a sound from her that I can't identify, somewhere between a laugh and a sob. "Yes. It is. So stop moving. You're making it worse."

It's as if acknowledging the fact that I'm injured has pulled a stopper on my adrenaline, and as that drains away, everything else comes rushing eagerly in to take its place: every burn, every bruise, every cut, all merging together into waves of pain. Aqua takes advantage of the daze I fall into to place her hands back over the worst of my wounds.

"Curaga," she murmurs. I am bathed in a warm, almost blindingly bright, white-green light. The heat of it intensifies over my injuries, makes me grit my teeth and arch my back in discomfort, and then fades to an oddly pleasant tingle.

Even that's gone by the time the sound of footsteps pounding over the grass announces the arrival of Terra and Ventus. Aqua is helping me to my feet when they join us, graciously letting me pretend I don't really need it.

"What's happened here?" Terra sounds stunned as he looks around us at the landscape, formerly immaculate, now torn-up and destroyed. I can actually see the places where I'd landed following each of Xehanort's rebuttals to my attacks.

"Are you okay?" Ventus asks me at the same time. My injuries are gone, but no amount of healing magics can remove the grass and mud and the residual smell of Thundaga clinging to my clothes.

"Why, Ventus," I drawl, letting go of Aqua to brush myself off. There's a particularly ugly tear in my shirt surrounded a large, uneven stain darker even than the black cloth. When I touch it, my hand comes away red. "You almost sound like you care."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ventus asks, frowning. "Of course I care, you idiot. You're one of us, aren't you?"

As a smile takes the place of his frown, I can't help but to stare, momentarily speechless and wondering, for the first time, just how long my own prejudices have led me to misjudge him.

Wait.

"...Did you just call me an idiot?"

Nervously, he watches my fingers twitch with the desire to summon Void Gear. "...uhh..."

"Boys," Eraqus says, effectively defusing the impending chaos. He takes another look around, his eyes lingering on the spot on which Xehanort had been standing. His voice sounds tired. "Let us go back inside. We have much to discuss."

**For the record, Ven did not ever really not like Vanitas. It was Vanitas who, shockingly, never really gave off any, "Let's be friends," vibes to the point that poor Ven was comfortable enough to act on them. Consequently he most certainly used the other three as buffers when Vanitas was around, but it was not so much, "I don't like the new guy," as it was, "I don't think the new guy likes me."**

**With that, off we go to the responses.**

**oblivionkeeper23: Er...not quite, lol. I mean, I totally would if I could find it. D: But I'm just going with the Vanitas backstory summary I found online and that was the inspiration. No problem, by the way! The love should always be shared.**

**the nobody 0: Glad you're enjoying it that much. ^_^**

**TheCrazyAnimeFan: Thanks! I shall indeed.**

**DPSS: I KNOW RITE? I actually went through tons of pages of Vanitas-centric fics to see if someone else had beaten me to the punch...but then I gave up because TOO MANY PAGES. Thanks for the comments!**

**PeterPokéfreak: My head swells like a friggin' balloon every time I see one of your reviews, lol. Short answer, practice. When I first wrote some ten years ago, my stories literally consisted of "I did this, and then I did this. He did that, and then this happened." THAT'S LITERALLY ALL IT WAS. CHAPTERS CONSISTING OF PARAGRAPHS OF THIS. I like to think I've improved. Ten years from now I'll probably look back at this and sob.**

**SorceressKyrsty: Aaw, thanks. ^_^ I did debate for a long time, should Terra and Vanitas be friends or no? And then I decided probably not since Eraqus and Ven are afraid/suspicious/uncertain of him and this is Terra's family we're talking about.**

**MegaFlameHedge: Good to know, good to know. ^_^ Vanitas is a sarcastic bastard. Also, that's a good point in regards to character choice. I'll see if there's some less common ones that convert me. It would be nice if I could help a couple people out.**

**Promotion time!**

**Just Out of Reach by The Genius Mage  
Many believed the darkness to be all powerful. Vanitas was one of them. But even the darkness couldn't force her...to...It didn't matter. She would always be out of his reach. Onesided VanitasxAqua, writing challenge dare.**

**Anime Expo 2013 tomorrow. I am going to buy ALL the Kingdom Hearts merch. 'Til next time!**


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